Episodes

  • A CN Tower-sized mega tsunami, and more…
    May 8 2026

    On the morning of August 10, 2025, a landslide in a fjord along the southern Alaskan coast triggered a mega tsunami. It generated the second highest wave ever recorded that reached up to 481 metres above sea level. A new study suggests that catastrophic events like this are more likely to occur as our climate warms and glaciers melt.


    PLUS:


    • The hantavirus at the centre of the outbreak struck Argentina in 2018. What did we learn?
    • Raccoons enjoy solving puzzles, just for the fun of it
    • What animal parents and distant humans can teach us about caregiving
    • From the archives: face to face with the man who killed Pluto
    • Quirks Question: why do my car windows make a ‘wha wha wha’ sound?
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Cocaine in waterways makes salmon roam further, and more…
    May 1 2026

    Cocaine and many other chemicals and drugs are found in many waterways, but especially around wastewater treatment plants. Scientists exposed wild juvenile Atlantic salmon to cocaine and its byproduct to see how it impacted their behaviour in the wild. As a result, the fish swam twice as far, which could put them in more danger.

    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Introducing IDEAS | How a historian found the lost women of science
    Apr 28 2026

    IDEAS, hosted by Nahlah Ayed is a weekday podcast that explores how ideas shape our world.


    “One of your tribe is enough.” That’s what Margaret Rossiter was told when she said she wanted to study female scientists in the ‘70s. Nevertheless, Rossiter persisted. She found and documented hundreds of women whose contributions to science had been overlooked, under-credited and misappropriated. Then she made history herself by coining the term “The Matilda Effect” to describe why those women failed to get the credit they deserved.


    Who is Matilda? Matilda Joslyn Gage was a suffragist erased from history. She was known as being too radical for Susan B. Anthony. This episode of IDEAS shares her story.


    You can find more episodes of IDEAS wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/IDEASxQQ

    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • Seabird poop does whaaat? And more…
    Apr 24 2026

    Seabird poop plays a surprising role in bringing life to barren islands, spreading nutrients throughout the ocean, and even creating wealth for an ancient human empire.


    PLUS:


    • The precursors of written language go back a lot earlier than we thought
    • Dolphins exposed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill also more likely to be hit by boats
    • From the archives: Canadian astronomer spots a supernova visible to the naked eye
    • Quirks Question: How do beavers choose their trees?
    • Mapping the universe in three dimensions
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Why this biologist loves unpopular animals, and more…
    Apr 17 2026

    We tend to think of animals like snakes, rats and even cockroaches as pests, but in her new book, biologist Marlene Zuk says there's a lot we can learn from these less than desirable creatures, if we just give them a chance.


    PLUS:

    • A case of mistaken identity: The truth about the world's 'oldest' octopus fossil
    • From the archives: Carl Sagan on the worlds beyond our solar system
    • The evolutionary cost of our relationship with fire
    • We're not speaking as much as we used to — and scientists are concerned
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Moving beyond animal testing, and more…
    Apr 10 2026

    There's been a growing movement to develop new technologies to replace at least some of the animals used in scientific research. Researchers across Canada are working to create these tools, to usher in a new animal-free era for medical science.


    PLUS:

    • Harbor seals can 'talk' thanks to their parrot-like brains
    • 'Flaming hot' water ice may explain Neptune and Uranus' strange magnetism
    • A thigh bone that could represent the oldest evidence of our human lineage
    • The ravens of Yellowstone remember where wolves typically kill their prey
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • What we hope to see on the far side of the moon, and more…
    Apr 3 2026

    On their mission around the moon, Jeremy Hansen and his crewmates will become the only four people on Earth to ever lay eyes on the entire far side of the moon. Since joining the space program, the Artemis astronauts have been undergoing intensive geological training to help train their eyes to look for lunar features that satellites can't pick up.


    PLUS:


    • How Neanderthals skillfully hunted and butchered a giant elephant
    • Filming fish over their lifetime reveals behaviours that lead to longevity
    • How our food environment shapes our tastes — and health
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Dogs have been by our side for 16,000 years, and more...
    Mar 27 2026

    New research confirms that dogs were the first animal to form a domestic relationship with humans, dating back to the end of the last Ice Age almost 16,000 years ago.


    PLUS:


    • Constructing shelters out of Martian soil may be possible with bacterial help
    • Male-on-male cricket 'twerking' and 'booty bumping' is not a case of mistaken identity
    • Narrowing down potential alien signals from 12 billion to 100, thanks to SETI
    • Researchers find a brain switch in mice to turn a deadbeat dad into a doting one
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins